It's Hank Lee for Me!
- A Woman Of Her Words
- Jan 10, 2023
- 4 min read
“It is both relaxing and invigorating to occasionally set aside the worries of life, seek the company of a friendly book...from the reading of 'good books' there comes a richness of life that can be obtained in no other way.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley
It’s Hank Lee for Me!
I have now been a widow for 9 full years and have no inclination to ever marry again—the age of 76 is scary enough, thank you, without thinking of starting what would be a whole new life.
However, in another galaxy . . .IF I were thinking of marriage, I would definitely marry Hank Lee—a man who really doesn’t exist, so that’s why I currently think he would make the perfect husband for me. Let me explain . . .
Hank Lee only exists in the world of cinema. He is a character played by Clark Gable in the movie “Soldier of Fortune,” co-starring Susan Hayward. Hank is somewhat of a bad boy type, gangster if you will, who befriends and falls in love with Jane Hoyt, the character portrayed by Ms. Hayward. He is a bad boy in the sense that he is an import/export kinda guy operating in 1950’s Hong Kong, but we don’t really know just what he deals in when importing and exporting. Shall we say he is a bit shady? Definitely. But Hank has other characteristics that endear him to his audience, most especially this writer. He is loyal, he is commanding—able to function in any situation and always save the damsel in distress, AND he is much admired by the men he knows. They snap to when he calls or gives an order, all the while falling all over themselves to do what he bids. Are they afraid of him? YES But, do they also admire our bad boy so much that they want to be him and live that fantasy by being his loyal cohort/partner in crime? YES.
See why I like this guy so much? He’s an enigma, a quasi-criminal type with a code of ethics (sorta’ like the madams of many old westerns.) Hank would not make a move until he saves Jane’s husband, brings him home to safety and thus puts them on equal footing so comparisons can be made and her choice of guys can be determined.
“Some like to believe it's the book that chooses the person.” ― Carlos Ruiz Zafón
BUT all this is just so much cinema soap opera stuff compared to the REAL reason I adore this character. You see, when Jane visits to plead for the rescue of her husband, Hank asks her to stay for dinner. As they eat Jane can’t stand it any longer and has to ask about the large stack of books at the dinner table. Hank (a former steam shovel operator, I think, in Chicago before he gravitates to Hong Kong after the war) confesses that he often eats alone, is lonely in the process and hopes he will learn from the books. And that’s where Hank had me—a man who loves books as much as I do! I once even had such a collection of books on my table and I think subconsciously it was inspired by this character.
However, I no longer have such a basket . . . because the basket would NOT hold all the recent books I have bought. It is a sickness that started in my childhood, progressed through all my school years, and sustained me through my middle-age funk when one starts assessing one’s life and thinking a bit about death. (As a matter of fact when I hit the age of 40 I read every book I could find about death, life after death, etc.) As hobbies go, reading has become more than just a hobby, it is a magnificent obsession.
It really got worse during the COVID lockdowns. It was the first time since I had a steady library card that said card lapsed. Some libraries were closed, we were just staying home and having groceries, etc. delivered—so what was there to do EXCEPT watch massive amounts of Hallmark and Turner Classic Movies?!!! . . . AND READ.
So I ordered books, and more books, and even more came as gifts because all who know me realize that I suffer from this affliction-- bibliophilia.* It’s a real word, trust me. The scary part is that it is bordering on bibliomania**—basically a love of books versus a sickness of hoarding.
“I learned from the age of two or three that any room in our house, at any time of day, was there to read in, or be read to.” ― Eudora Welty
I love them all—novels, subject books, history books, poetry books, religious books, and so on. See what I mean? It would take one of those dumpsters folks rent to hold all the books in my house—and then some.
But as hobbies go, it’s not all that bad is it? I mean I could be a drinker or a gambler or a plain ol’ hoarder who hoards everything.
However, fear not, I am cutting back on my book purchases, I am trying to read my way through the stacks of books I have on hand. And while I read I am saving money for a special fund, if you will--for my journey. And “what journey?” you may ask. You see, as soon as I finish the books in my current basket, I am off to the inscrutable Far East to find Hank Lee, a man who can truly appreciate me.
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*and **:
To watch the trailer for SOLDIER OF FORTUNE go to IMDB:
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